Uboats crossing Gibraltar

Raf1394 · 02-21-25, 01:28 PM

I got a question, about the Uboats who crossed the strait of Gibraltar during WW2.

Was it possible that the Uboats who crossed the Gibraltar strait.
actually went as close as possible leaning towards the North African shores. Especially not far from the Moroccan coast. And this way trying to enter the Mediterranean Sea?

I know the depth would be very shallow. And some parts of the Moroccan coast were Spanish property/enclaves so i guess neutral? Would British warships still patrol this neutral area? If i remember correctly, there was a small international zone off the coast of Morocco, around Tanger. Were international ships/warships could patrol?

blackswan40 · 02-21-25, 04:20 PM

Uboat crews called the Mediterranean the mouse trap

http://www.formontana.net/uboats.html

Aktungbby · 02-22-25, 10:57 AM

...in SH-V, I get into the Med along the Moroccan coast which I hug tightly and which is deep. (I can see Rick's off Casablanca

) The only threat at that juncture is two gunboats that get too close....and can be dealt with with the deckgun or avoided altogether. This should be done swiftly though before a more dangerous follow-on unit arrives with larger vessels from the Gibraltar side. It's a long way to Spezia for a refuel.

KaleunMarco · 02-22-25, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

... It's a long way to Spezia

isn't that a song that you dough-boys used to sing in The Great War?

Raf1394 · 02-23-25, 11:17 AM

You also had a natural current passing through the Gibraltar strait.

One from the Atlantic towards the Mediterranean
A uboat could turn off the engines. And use the current to slip inside.
But uboats trying to get in the Atlantic had real trouble, they were forced to use there engines. There engine powers had also little speed.

Thats why there is no recordings, of a German uboat crossing Gibraltar to enter the Atlantic.

Correct me if i'm wrong

mapuc · 02-23-25, 11:31 AM

I made a search and found this wiki-page

Quote:

Some 60 German U-boats made the hazardous passage into the Mediterranean Sea from 1941. Only one completed the journey both ways. Karl Dönitz, the Commander-in-Chief, U-boats, Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU) was always reluctant to send his boats into the Mittelmeer but he recognised that natural bottlenecks such as the Straits of Gibraltar were more likely to result in shipping being found and attacked than relying on finding it in the vast Atlantic Ocean.

The U-boats were sent to assist the Italians, although many were attacked in the Strait of Gibraltar and nine were sunk while attempting the passage and ten more were damaged. The Mediterranean is a clear and calm body of water which made escape more difficult for the U-boats. The Axis failed in their objective.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medite...f_World_War_II

Markus

Aktungbby · 02-23-25, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaleunMarco

isn't that a song that you dough-boys used to sing in The Great War?

No dought(boy) the frigid (can't pick-a-dilly) midwestern wasteland along the greasy banks of Lago Michicano has rendered you 'tipporarily' insane!

Raf1394 · 02-26-25, 12:49 AM

I think most of the uboats crossing Gibraltar were actually sunk by aircraft patrols. Not sure.

02-21-25, 01:28 PM	#1
Raf1394 Commander Join Date: Sep 2024 Location: Europe Posts: 445 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	Uboats crossing Gibraltar I got a question, about the Uboats who crossed the strait of Gibraltar during WW2. Was it possible that the Uboats who crossed the Gibraltar strait. actually went as close as possible leaning towards the North African shores. Especially not far from the Moroccan coast. And this way trying to enter the Mediterranean Sea? I know the depth would be very shallow. And some parts of the Moroccan coast were Spanish property/enclaves so i guess neutral? Would British warships still patrol this neutral area? If i remember correctly, there was a small international zone off the coast of Morocco, around Tanger. Were international ships/warships could patrol?

02-21-25, 04:20 PM	#2
blackswan40 GWX - KC Crash Test Dummy Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: IN THE STEEL SHARKS VIRTUAL OCEAN Posts: 2,782 Downloads: 603 Uploads: 31	Uboat crews called the Mediterranean the mouse trap http://www.formontana.net/uboats.html __________________ Someone Had to Make the Tea

02-22-25, 10:57 AM	#3
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 29,979 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	...in SH-V, I get into the Med along the Moroccan coast which I hug tightly and which is deep. (I can see Rick's off Casablanca) The only threat at that juncture is two gunboats that get too close....and can be dealt with with the deckgun or avoided altogether. This should be done swiftly though before a more dangerous follow-on unit arrives with larger vessels from the Gibraltar side. It's a long way to Spezia for a refuel. __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness?!!

02-23-25, 11:17 AM	#5
Raf1394 Commander Join Date: Sep 2024 Location: Europe Posts: 445 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	You also had a natural current passing through the Gibraltar strait. One from the Atlantic towards the Mediterranean A uboat could turn off the engines. And use the current to slip inside. But uboats trying to get in the Atlantic had real trouble, they were forced to use there engines. There engine powers had also little speed. Thats why there is no recordings, of a German uboat crossing Gibraltar to enter the Atlantic. Correct me if i'm wrong

02-26-25, 12:49 AM	#8
Raf1394 Commander Join Date: Sep 2024 Location: Europe Posts: 445 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	I think most of the uboats crossing Gibraltar were actually sunk by aircraft patrols. Not sure.